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Finding animal droppings in your attic can present a significant problem. Some reasons to be concerned about the presence of animal feces include:

Health – Animals, along with their droppings, can be vectors of disease. Animal droppings can carry parasites and deadly diseases, necessitating their removal immediately. Some of these pathogens can become airborne.

Insulation damage – Fecal matter can also damage insulation. This can adversely affect your heating and cooling of your home, leading to higher energy costs. There is also the time and expense necessary to replace ruined insulation.

Foul odours – Animal droppings may exude unpleasant smells, especially if they have been there for some time. Removing the smell can prove difficult if the droppings have soaked into your attic surfaces. Smells can pervade the rest of the house.

Stains – Droppings can stain surfaces and discolour walls and floors. It is also possible for feces and urine to soak into the ceiling underneath your attic, ruining the paint and walls of your home.

Animal droppings are an especially troublesome problem, but it is possible to remove the waste. It’s always best to call an expert for help, because they will:

Wear protective clothing – Gloves and a face mask are necessary for health. The person performing the removal will not breathe in or expose their skin to bacteria and germs. A full body suit will provide more comprehensive protection.

Remove droppings from the attic – A vacuum-like device can pick up smaller pieces. Larger pieces will need to be removed by hand. Droppings will be placed in a plastic bag, tightly tied, and discarded.

Recommend insulation replacement – If a pest control specialist identifies soiled insulation they will recommend you replace it.

Spray the attic with antimicrobial spray – After removing the droppings and other debris, remaining parasites and germs are killed.

Professional pest control services perform wildlife dropping servicesto keep your home air healthy and bacteria-free. Contact Pro-Pest at (416) 487-4179. We can clear your attic of animal droppings and remove the wildlife that left them.

A chimney is necessary (for any home that has a fireplace) to lead away smoke and other fireplace emissions. However, that opening into your home can be welcoming to outdoor pests. The addition of a chimney cap can block animals from entering. Some problems a chimney cap prevents include:

1. Disease – Wild animals like raccoons and squirrels often carry diseases (like rabies). Installing a chimney cap can keep animals out of your chimney, and out of your home.

2. Nests – Chimneys make for attractive homes for birds. This can lead to a chimney becoming clogged, causing a buildup of carbon monoxide indoors. A chimney cap keeps flying friends outside while smoke escapes.

3. Dead animals – Animals can become trapped in the flue and die. Foul smells, maggots, and flies may eventually present themselves as a result.

4. Handling wildlife – No homeowner should try to deal with an animal invasion on their own. Experts have the training, tools, and expertise to do this in a safe manner.

5. Animal droppings – Animals living in a chimney flue can also leave droppings in your fireplace, which release foul smells as they burn and can hold bacteria.

Other incidental reasons for installing a chimney cap are:

1. Moisture – Water can enter a chimney, damaging its inner workings and cause cracks that are costly to repair. Water also encourages the growth of mildew and mould within a chimney, which affects breathing and the respiratory health of inhabitants.

3. Stray embers – Embers from a fireplace may travel up the chimney to the outdoor area. They may have enough heat left to ignite nearby plants and start a fire. A chimney cap can prevent fire.

4. Drafts – Chimneys can house downdrafts (from wind) and send smoke back into a home, making it difficult to start fires. They can also adversely affect heating bills.

A chimney cap can keep your home safe in several ways. If you need chimney capping services, contact Pro-Pest at (416) 487-4179. We can help you with chimney caps to keep pests out and protect your property and family.

Although many of us enjoy a warm, wood-burning fireplace or stove in the wintertime, we may not understand how to properly store wood. Keeping logs inside the house/cottage or the garage may not be a good idea. Here are some tips to properly store firewood and keep it free from pests.

Keep it away from the property.

Pests love to burrow and nest deep in wood piles. The closer firewood is to your property, the more likely insects are to infiltrate your property and cause serious damage. Keep firewood a good twenty feet (or more) away from your home or cottage, and never store it indoors.

Keep it dry.

Use a cover — or keep firewood in a woodshed — to prevent moisture from soaking into the wood. Logs will also be easier to burn. Keep firewood off the ground to keep the wood free from water and insects.

Use what you need.

Gather small amounts of kindling and logs as you need them. Use what you have indoors right away. Keep all other wood stored safely outdoors.

Avoid using pesticides.

If you spot insects in your firewood, avoid the impulse to spray your stack with pesticide. Wood containing toxic chemicals will release noxious gas indoors if burned in the fireplace or wood stove.

Use older firewood first.

Older firewood makes it easier for pests to burrow. They may build a colony if the wood is not burned right away. Before using old firewood, check for surface ants by shaking and tapping the logs.

If you suspect that your firewood has hidden pests or your home or cottage may be an unwilling shelter for winter invaders, call Pro-Pest. We can take care of infestation safely and without endangering property residents, pets, or family. Call us at (416) 487-4179.

Many of us think our homes are safe from wildlife invasion during the winter. However, some pests will look for any opportunity to get into a warm, safe spot during the frigid winter months. Most vermin can climb and gnaw their way through wood to get into shelter, causing health hazards and structural damage.

Although mice are smaller than rats, they are incredibly agile creatures that can burrow through property and nest. Here are some facts to help you keep them out:

Mice typically enter indoor areas between October and February. They’re looking for food, water, and shelter from the cold.

Mice can carry as many as 200 human pathogens.

A house mouse can produce between 40-100 droppings daily.

If you spot a mouse in the house, more will likely arrive. Female mice can give birth while they are two months old and have 6 to 10 babies per year.

In order to prevent health hazards and home damage, inspect possible hiding places and call professional pest control experts:

Basement

Attic

Garage

Kitchen

Behind a stove

Storage boxes

Inside walls and crawl spaces

Closets

Under piles of clutter

Having mice in your home is unpleasant. Trying to get rid of them yourself is unwise and can be unsafe. Call a professional pest control company who can provide immediate, long-lasting solutions.

Pro-Pest provides animal removal and pest removal services for businesses and homes around Toronto to get rid of pesky critters in a humane and professional manner. Please call (416) 487-4179 and let us help you.

Every season has its own distinguishable characteristics. These conditions determine which kind of flora and fauna thrive at different times of the year. Some creatures do so well during a particular season that their population increases are regarded as “pest levels.” Identifying seasonal pests is a handy skill to prevent infestation.

Spring

Spring sees the reawakening of plant life after winter hibernation. Flowers, trees, and shrubs aren’t the only living things that regenerate in the warming months. With a moderate and moist environment (and renewed food supplies), spring is an ideal season for pests like:

Ticks

Flies

Cankerworms

Mosquitoes

Ants

Summer

Insects love the heat of summer. They can also move faster during this season and evade predators. They can eat and breed — and multiply. Common summer insects include:

Cockroaches

Spiders

Yellow Jackets

Bed bugs

Wasps, bees, and hornets

Fall

In the autumn months, most animals are preparing reserves and establishing nesting grounds for the winter. Small animals, however, are more vulnerable during this time and would likely choose a permanent fixture (e.g. gardens, homes, and other buildings) as their winter retreat. Pests that can become problems at this time are:

Rodents

Bats

Slugs and Snails

Stink Bugs

Birds

Winter

During the winter, most plants and animals slow down. Potential pests (or insect eggs) hide to survive until spring. With your home providing warmth and food, more potential pests would try to build their nesting ground indoors. The most common winter pests are:

3. Seal all openings. These include cracks in your walls, attic windows, and chimneys. Repair window screens and replace door seals. Pests (like rats and mice) can sneak into places with very small gaps.

4. Hire pest control and removal service experts. Some pests can’t be managed by simple home remedies, and you might end up worsening your pest problem. Professional pest controllers know how pests behave and know how to eliminate the problem.

Professional pest control and removal services are available all seasons. Call Pro-Pest today if you have seasonal pest problems: (416) 487-4179 or email us at info@pro-pest.ca.

Rodents are survivors, making them top transmitters of human disease. They also reproduce quickly. One pair of rats can produce almost half a billion offspring in three years. They can swim for three days and pass through holes smaller than their bodies a handy ability for evasion and escape. They will eat almost anything (even their own waste) and carry germs responsible for several human illnesses. Managing rodent populations with a professional extermination/removal services helps control disease.

Germs carried by rodents:

1. Hantavirus. Hantavirus is a life-threatening virus spread by rodents through urine and fecal droppings. While Hantavirus does not make rodents sick, it causes Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), a severe and sometimes fatal respiratory disease. Without immediate treatment, HPS deaths can occur between 1-2 days after severe breathing problems begin.

3. Streptobacillus moniliformis. This pathogen is known for causing “rat bite fever,” a rare illness with symptoms including chills, fever, joint pain, and rashes. Although it can be treated with antibiotics, more severe complications may include abscesses in the brain or soft tissue; infection of heart valves; and inflammation of salivary glands, tendons, and the heart lining.

4. Leptospira. A virus responsible for Leptospirosis, this can be transmitted to humans and pets through rodent urine and waste. Signs and symptoms of Leptospirosis include high fever, chills, headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and rashes. Without antibiotic treatment, Leptospirosis can lead to kidney damage, meningitis, liver failure, respiratory distress, and death.

5. Salmonella. Rodents carry Salmonella as a normal component in their bodies and can spread this bacteria through fecal droppings. Salmonella causes food poisoning, with frequent diarrhea and fever and painful stomach cramps.

Germs indirectly carried by rodents:

1. Borrelia burgdorferi. This is found on ticks that feed on rats. It causes Lyme disease, which begins with a “bulls-eye” type rash and progresses into severe headache, neck stiffness, additional rashes on other areas of the body, heart palpitations, and inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. It is a very serious disease requiring lifelong medical treatment.

2. Rickettsial pathogens. This group of bacteria (found in fleas, lice, mites, and ticks that reside on rodents), is responsible for spreading typhus. There are two types of typhus: epidemic typhus, (spread by lice) and endemic typhus (transmitted by fleas). Epidemic typhus causes symptoms including: rashes on the body trunk, high fever, nausea, malaise, diarrhea, and vomiting. Epidemic typhus has similar but more severe symptoms, including bleeding into the skin, delirium, hypotension, and death.

3. Yersinia pestis. This is found in rat fleas and is the main cause for spreading plague, a deadly disease responsible for killing more than 200 million people around the world. Plague has flu-like symptoms including fever, chills, muscle pain, weakness and headache. It can progress to nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

While medical advances made these illnesses easier to diagnose and treat, rodents continue to threaten humans and animals with spread of infection. Do not attempt to remove rodents from your property without help from professional pest control experts. Until then, control the rodents’ access to food and shelter to discourage them from nesting and spreading germs and disease.

Rats are sometimes viewed as tiny and terrible creatures of destruction, causing thousands of dollars in damage to properties. In 2017 CTV revealed that Canada’s rat population increased by 200 per cent over the previous year — potential for double the damage.

Understanding rats

Rats are smart, furry rodents that feed on most anything and can survive in poor living conditions. Two rats common to North America are the Norway rat and roof rat. Both have different habits, and both have destructive capabilities:

The Norway rat builds elaborate tunnels and burrows at ground level, making them more difficult to track and remove. It thrives on damp, hidden areas like crawl spaces or garages.

The roof rat, on the other hand, is an agile climber that hides on trees and vines. It burrows in attics, rafters, or roofs of buildings.

Damage to property

Rats will chew on anything they deem useful to build a nesting ground. The options include electrical wires (especially the insulated ones, which can cause fires).

Rats like damp, dark, and hidden nooks, which sometimes make them difficult to locate (unless you hear scratching, clawing, and other odd noises).

Rats can destroy a kitchen pantry. Even sealed boxes and containers are vulnerable to their incisors. Stored, sealed food can be at risk.

Rats leave urine trails and fecal droppings which contaminate surfaces and can spread disease. These trails invite more rats to your property because the smells and markings have identified it as a “rat home.”

Initial rat control

Sneaky as they are, rats are careful to avoid traps. To effectively capture them, call an experienced pest control company. In the meantime, try to make your house rodent-proof:

Seal any gaps and cracks they can use as a point of entry

Replace important parts of your home with strong materials such as stainless steel

Hire a professional pest removal team to take care of rat problems before they get worse. Professionals understand the nature and behaviour of pests, allowing them to find the most effective solution available.

Have you noticed signs of rat infestation in your home? Call the Pro-Pest office at (416) 487-4179 for safe rat extermination.

Raccoons are medium-sized mammals known for their greyish fur, extremely dexterous front paws, and facial mask. They are tiny, intelligent animals that normally live in the wild — such as the lush tree-lined areas of the city of Toronto, Ontario.

In recent years these seemingly harmless animals began rapidly populating and have infiltrated Toronto urban life. In fact, the city had a reported 100,000 raccoons in 2017. Their “growth spurt” was so massive that many people refer to the city as the “raccoon Capital of the World.” Obviously, raccoons aren’t under threat of extinction anytime soon. Their growth is unchecked, and that is making some city dwellers uneasy. Several removal and regulatory measures have been taken to curb this potential population problem.

When did raccoons start invading Toronto?

The Toronto Star chronicles the first sightings of raccoon infestation back in 2002, when the city launched its “organics bin” program, which separates compostable waste in “green bins.” The bins, however, became attractive fodder for raccoons, which found them easy to open by tipping them. With ample food at their disposal, these furry creatures flocked into neighbourhoods and backyards.

Why the sudden population boom?

Raccoons are omnivores, feeding mostly on grubs, insects, small animals, eggs, fleshy fruits, nuts, and vegetables (like corn). They’ll eat just about anything they can find in the garbage. In 2015, a Toronto Staff Report revealed that unintended feeding of animals caused their population to increase. By failing to lock green bins and leaving food outside for domestic animals, residents were helping the raccoons thrive.

How is the City solving the problem?

In 2014, Toronto officials considered euthanizing raccoons as a form of population control, but more than half of the city’s residents voted against it. Upon realizing that the green bins — and the food they contain — have attracted more raccoons, the City created raccoon-resistant garbage bins with locks. These bins are also heavier and harder to tip over. Since this is a long-term solution, slowly cutting off the additional food supply, the City also recommends seeking professionals using raccoon removal services when needed.

How can I remove the raccoons on my own?

For safety, it is best not to try to move a raccoon. Forcibly removing an animal from your property is likely considered legal or inhumane; they are still identified as wildlife. Leave the raccoon removal process to the experts, especially if the animals in question could be carriers of disease.

Are raccoons starting a ruckus on your property? Call Pro-Pest for effective and professional raccoon removal service. Call our hotline at (416) 487-4179 or email our support department at info@pro-pest.ca.

Many people think homemade traps are just as good as the service a professional pest control service provides. However, trapping animals requires skill and training so that no one gets hurt in the process. Expert animal removal companies exist for a reason, and their technicians can cage an animal safely and humanely, without harm to nearby humans or pets. Continue reading →

When you see a sudden swarm of ants on the pavement near your home and business, is it cause for alarm? Read on to learn about ant behaviour and when it’s time to call a professional pest removal company. Continue reading →